For many, online dating is the preferred way to find a partner. But it’s developing into the world’s biggest swindle, not to mention a lucrative new field for people traffickers and drug lords.

In many Eastern European countries, more than a few girls finance their studies by posting fake love letters on dating sites. Those who reply find that, in order to open a letter from a prospective partner, they have to pay. As a result, conning credulous western men in search of love has evolved into an industry. Men are not the only victims, however. West African criminal networks exploit vulnerable women too. One woman was and forced to sell her house, while another ended up in prison — both because a man promised he loved them. The big question at the end is simple: how do we know who we are dating on the internet?